Mother May I
by Bebhionn
Summary: ONESHOT. An extremely dangerous serial killer has been tracked down by Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy. The following is an account of what happens when the two Aurors decide to deliver some justice. Warning: blood and gore, character death.


Title: Mother May I

Author: Bebhionn

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: blood and gore

Genre: Horror, Action

Ships: none

Length: one chapter (unless I somehow decide to continue)

Author's Note: I didn't have a beta to proof read this, so please be kind enough to point out ANY errors if you review. Reviews are much appreciated.

Blood. It was all around her, decorating the bushes in dark splotches. The stench of death was heavy in the air, and she fought back the urge to gag. Three years on the job and she'd yet to see anything this grotesque. She stumbled past the bodies, there had to be ten or so laying limp on the ground, their skin pale and lifeless. Her foot connected with something solid and wet; she looked down and bit back a scream.

It was another body, but this one was without its skin. She couldn't stop the bile from rising and turned to throw up, heaving until nothing but a clear liquid dribbled out of her mouth. She closed her eyes and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

Ginny reached out to a nearby tree to steady herself. The bark was wet and sticky, and she quickly recoiled. Her hand was coated with a thin layer of blood. With a grimace, she wiped it off on her jeans.

"Weasley, what have you found?" She rubbed her hand on her jeans one last time and scanned the area.

"There's about eleven or so bodies out here. They're all dead… one of them has been skinned," she called, her voice a bit shaky.

"Merlin," this time the voice was closer. She looked towards the clearing.

"I think he's still here," she whispered. Someone grabbed her shoulder, and she jumped before realizing who it was. "Merlin's beard, Malfoy- don't sneak up on me like that," she grumbled. He was silent, taking in the bodies that littered the forest. Arms were bent in awkward angles, legs were fully severed from the hip down, and some were missing their eyeballs- dark holes filled with blood left in their place.

"This is vile," Malfoy stated, his eyes resting on the body whose muscles and bones were exposed for the scavengers of the forest.

"Tell me something I don't know" Ginny mumbled, "I think he's still in the area- none of the blood has dried yet, so this must have happened recently," she explained. Malfoy nodded.

"I know, Weasley, I paid attention during training just as much as you did" he bent down and examined the ground, his fingers tracing a footprint that had been left in the soil, "there's a trail of them that lead that way… towards the clearing," he muttered, pointing to their left. Ginny nodded and pulled out her wand.

"Time to serve some justice," she announced before starting that way.

The two of them were like shadows, blending into the foliage as though it were their nature. Their footsteps were light, their breathing quiet and calm; they weren't going to give any warning before they struck. They were two panthers, moving in unison as they stalked their prey.

Slowly, the trees thinned, and then they were at the entrance to the clearing. The once green landscape was now a pond of blood. Thirty or more bodies rested, face down, drowning in the syrupy liquid. In the middle of the clearing sat what appeared to be a man. His shoulders were hunched, face hidden by the shadows cast by the hood pulled over his head. The black robes were splattered with blood, his hands nearly drenched in it. He looked up, amber eyes flashing.

"Kiddies shouldn't walk alone in the woods… there are bad things that lurk here, bad things…" his voice was aged beyond his years, crackling and popping with each word.

"Neville…" Ginny breathed, feeling the urge to make sick. She looked to her right and saw that Draco's wand hand was itching towards his wand-holster.

"Eh, eh, eh. It isn't proper to throw sticks…" the man said in a sing-song voice. Ginny's hands were shaking; she ground her teeth together, remembering as much of her training as she could.

"Neville, we've come to play. Would you like to play?" she called, taking a step forward. Malfoy's hand automatically grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, his voice strained with emotion. Ginny gave him a reassuring smile.

"Trust me, this will work," she whispered. He nodded reluctantly, and dropped his arm to his side.

"Whisper, whisper, whisper! I don't like whispers! Secrets are whispered! Secrets are bad! Secrets hurt… always hurt," Neville wrapped his arms around his knees and began to hum a familiar tune. Ginny realized, with shock, that it was the Hogwarts anthem.

'_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy-warty Hogwarts…'_ she shook her head, forcing away the unwelcome nostalgia.

"Do you want to play a game, Neville?" she repeated. He titled his head to the side and smiled at her. A sickening feeling settled in her gut. His teeth were red, stained with blood.

"I've been playing a game, Ginny… I've been playing a terribly fun game… they're like insects" he gestured to one of the bodies laying near him, "if you squeeze hard enough they'll pop, the pretty color goes everywhere then… such a pretty color" he giggled as he waved his blood soaked hands as proof.

"Would you like to play a different game, Neville?" Ginny asked, taking a couple steps forward. He grinned at her, his cheeks dimpling. How had this happened? How could someone like Neville murder so many people? He was so different back in school; she used to be friends with him…

"What kind of game?" he asked, his voice filled with childish excitement. Ginny took a couple steps forward, motioning to Malfoy behind her back. Malfoy crept in the shadows, hidden by the trees. Neville was so excited he didn't see the dark figure moving in the trees across from him.

"Oh it's an awfully fun game. I played it with Ron when I was younger. You remember Ron, don't you?" she kept moving towards him, keeping her voice as conversational as possible. Neville nodded vigorously, his hood falling back in the process. Ginny bit back a gasp; his pale face was marred with scars and bruises, his once curly, brown hair now limp and lifeless. Eyes that had once held purely innocent, boyish charm were now much more hardened, though she could see a twinkle of enthusiasm in them.

"Good. The game is called 'Mother May I'. When I tell you to do something you say: 'Mother may I?' if I say yes you can do it, if I say no you have to wait. Understand?"

Neville nodded again. Malfoy was now parallel to Neville's back, his wand drawn, just in case. Ginny smiled at him, as he smiled back she moved her hand so her wand was pointed straight at him. Caught up in his excitement, Neville failed to notice what she had done.

"Alright… close your eyes, and take five giant steps forward," she ordered. Neville jumped up and quickly took one giant step. Two. Three. Four. Now he was right in front of her. Five. Ginny closed her eyes and grimaced as she heard his pained gasp. She felt her wand impale his stomach, his blood pouring on her hand. His face was twisted in pain, his eyes quickly losing their twinkle.

"You… tricked…me," he gasped, falling forward as his knees gave out. Ginny looked down at him, tears pricking her eyes.

"You didn't say 'Mother may I'" she whispered, "Avada Kedavra." Neville's skin took on a green tinge, and he let out a loud scream. She tried to look away, but was transfixed by the sight. His eyes, his open mouth, his ears- they all had a green light coming out of them. Ginny pulled her wand out of his stomach, and he tumbled to the ground like a rag doll. She looked away as she flicked her wand to vanish the blood off her clothes. Malfoy walked over, his wand back in its holster.

"You did good, Weasley," he said softly. She nodded absentmindedly.

"Mission accomplished," she choked out, overwhelmed by a strange sense of grief. Neville had once been her friend; he had been so kind and sweet back then. Ginny gave her partner a weak smile, trying to rally her spirits. Her eyes widened as Draco's arms went around her waist, pulling her against him. He rubbed her back soothingly as she began to cry.


End file.
